Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2020·Global

Refigurative politics: understanding the volatile participation of critical creatives in community gardens, repair cafés and clothing swaps

Michael Deflorian

Social movement studies

Urban Farm DB summary

This article examines the volatile participation of critical creatives in collective alternative everyday practices (CAEPs) like community gardens, which often involves irregular engagement and adherence to unsustainable consumer lifestyles. Drawing on Late-Modern Subject Theory, it argues that participants attempt to embody an idealized Self but fail persistently due to structural constraints and personal liberties in late-modern society. This results in "refigurations" of utopia that are bound to fail, highlighting a governance challenge in sustaining engagement.